Clean Slate
by mazz0019
Summary: Sesshoumaru is badly hurt and is near death. Rin is worried for him, so Kagome and Inuyasha help him recover. It is an emotional experience for all of them, including the cold hearted Sesshoumaru.


Chapter 1 – Battle

"This is Bad," he thought as more blood gushed from his stomach. The big demon gave him yet another blow with its huge beak. He aimed his Tokijn at the demon, but it flew by. "This battle has been going on for too long," he thought as he barley dodged the bird's next blow.

Rin had been watching Sesshoumaru from a distance in the bushes. "Stay back until I tell you it is safe to come out," he had told her. Her heart was beating fast. He had been in this battle for a long time now and even she could notice that he was slowing down after an hour long battle. He had suffered more injuries than she had ever seen on him. He usually did not allow himself to get hurt this much, but he could not avoid getting hurt this time. The demon seemed to be much more powerful than any other demon that she had seen him fight.

"This demon is fast" thought Sesshoumaru. He had been fighting this demon for over an hour now and he could feel the pain throbbing in his chest from the first blow.

_Flashback_

Sesshoumaru was walking tranquilly through the woods with Rin, Jake and Ah-Un following him. Rin was forcing Jaken into playing one of her usual games when Sesshoumaru decided to send Jaken on an errand.

As soon as Jaken had left with Ah-Un, he felt a great demonic aura coming fast towards them. "Rin, hide in the bushes. Stay back until I tell you it is safe to come out. "Ok, Lord Sesshoumaru…" she gasped, and then looked at him and said, "Lord Sesshoumaru, Good Luck… and… be careful." Sesshoumaru just looked at her as she faded away in the bushes.

At that instant, a large demon bird flew over him, stopping in mid-air as Sesshoumaru took out his Tokijin and tried to hit it. But this demon was fast, faster than any demon he had ever fought. It threw a flashing light from its beak, which he could barely dodge. The first blow came without warning. It hit him right in the chest. Blood started spurting out really fast. Sesshoumaru tried to dodge the following blows, but it was really difficult with the pain that was increasing in his chest. After the first blow, he struggled through the whole battle

_Present_

Sesshoumaru usually had the upper hand in battles, but today was not his lucky day. "I'm going to be in trouble if I do not kill this demon, fast," He thought as he tried to aim another shot at the bird. "Stupid Youkai, you can barely stand on your feet and you're still forcing your body beyond your limits, just to kill me. Why don't you give in so that I can suck your blood while you're still alive? At least what's left of it!" "Shut up you filthy bastard, no lowly demon like you is going to ….." He stopped in mid-sentence as he was pushed to the ground by yet another blow from the demon.

Chapter 2- Saviour

Sesshoumaru fell down to the ground, unconscious. "Well, he's no use to me now, he's lost too much blood, he's probably dead. I might as well go looking for another demon to kill." The bird demon flew away, leaving Sesshoumaru lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

When Rin saw her Lord in such a state, she started to panic. She ran towards his unconscious form lying on the ground. She could immediately feel the tears stinging her eyes. The injuries looked far worse from close up now. She put her hand in his chest wound and when more blood started coming out she was hysterical. "Oh my God, I've worsened the situation, now he's going to die because of me." She started shouting out "Master Jaken, Master Jaken, where are you? Lord Sesshoumaru is hurt, he needs help, he's going to die." Then she realised that her Lord had sent Master Jaken on an errand and it would take about a fortnight for him to return. "What am I going to do, I can't let him die, not after all he has done for me." She stated screaming hysterically "help, help, please someone help me, my Lord is going to die."

Kagome was humming softly to herself when she first heard a girl scream. "Did you hear that, Inuyasha?" "Hear what?" he boringly asked. They were in Kagome's hut. Before old Lady Kaede had died three years ago, she had told her that she could keep the hut for herself and Inuyasha. She had made it as homely as possible, and through Inuyasha's grumbling, she had forced him to bring some things from home, a small table, 4 chairs, a stove, two sofa beds, a small couch along with some battery powered appliances. "I did not hear.," he stopped, as he picked up _that scent. _"It can't be, he couldn't have lost that much blood." "What is it , Inuyasha? Did you hear her now?"

The scream came from the forest. "Kagome, hop on, we're in for some trouble !" "Again? What do you mean by..?" "Are you coming or not?" "ok,ok," she answered. "Ah, get that first aid something with you, we might need it!" " Why, is someone hurt?" Inuyasha thought for a while "Someone may need our help" If he lets us, anyway, he thought.

Why isn't anyone coming? I have been shouting for help for a long time now, thought Rin. Should I go and look for help myself. What if a demon comes and kills him. But he's running out of time anyway. Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru, what would you have done if I was hurt like this? The thirteen year old buried her face into her Lord's blood covered chest and started crying. "Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru, you are a demon, you are not supposed to die before me. I wish that somebody would come to help!"

"I knew it?" She heard a voice say, as she lifted her head from Sesshoumaru's chest. From her tear stained face, she could see the two figures approaching her. For an instant, she did not recognise them, then she could see Inuyasha and Kagome coming close. She ran into Inuyasha's arms and knelt down. "Please help Lord Sesshoumaru, he he's hurt." Shrugging her off, Inuyasha said "I can see that!" He looked over to his brother's almost lifeless figure. He had never seen him in such a state. He had never BEEN in such a state.

"What the hell happened here? What was he doing, letting the demon hit him or what?" "No, no it's not like that. He fought bravely, but this demon was too much for him," said Rin through sobs. "What do you mean too much? I thought no mortal or demon is too much for perfect Sesshoumaru," snapped Inuyasha. "The demon was too fast, my Lord could barely dodge his blows and after he got the first blow, he kind of….lost his strength." Inuyasha looked back at his unconscious brother lying on the floor. "Well, he looks as if he is already dead to me," he said as he started walking away. "Wh What did you say? Is he really dead? No, it can't be. Please Inuyasha, I beg you to help him. You have to. He's your brother!" "Look girl, first of all he's my half-brother, and second of all, he's the one who is always picking fights and claiming he wants to kill me, so well he's dead now, good riddance." As he was saying this he could feel sadness inside his heart. What is this feeling? Am I sorry he's dead? How can it be? I Hate him don't I?

Kagome had been closely observing the whole thing. She came closer to Sesshoumaru and put her fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. Her heart skipped a beat when she did not feel anything. He could not be….no wait, she thought, as felt a faint beat. "He's alive, I can feel his pulse, its faint, but its there." Rin's eyes grew wide with relief, "so he's not dead?" "No, Rin he's not dead, but he's badly injured, and he will die if we- she said as she gave a cruel look to Inuyasha- do not help him. "Hey, look, I told you, I'm not going to help him. Besides, what makes you think that if we help him he won't die anyway! I smelt his blood from back in the hut and I could immediately feel that he's in big trouble. And if he lives, what then? Will he be a loving brother and say he's sorry he hated me but now he appreciates all that I did for him. No way in hell will he do that!"

Kagome stood up and moved closer to her boyfriend. "Inuyasha, can't you see the poor girl, she's torn apart. We have to help him, if only for her sake. I can't cure him out here, I need more materials, let's bring him to the hut and treat his wounds. I know how, after all these years taking care of you." "NO" "Come on, he's your brother. He's the only family you have left, you can't let him die," she persisted. Inuyasha looked back at his brother, than the whimpering girl next to him. "Come on honey, please find it in your h…" "OK,OK, but it's for her sake I'm doing this, not his," he said as he pointed back to Rin. Rin's eyes filled with tears again as inuyasha said, "and you, stop crying or I'll leave him behind." Rin managed a smile and looked at Kagome, who said "Come on dear, we'll go up to prepare some medicine until inuyasha brings Sesshoumaru back to the hut." She turned to Inuyasha, "try not to move him so much, or he'll loose too much blood."

Chapter 3 – Help

"Ok then, we're all settled," said Kagome as she and Rin had finished cutting the long white sheets and preparing the medications. It had taken Inuyasha a full half hour to bring Sesshoumaru down from the river back to the hut. Sesshoumaru was now lying on the bed at the edge of the room, looking pale white and still unconscious. "Now, Rin, I will need your help to treat him. Do you think you can do that?" "I'll help, whatever you need." She was willing to do anything to see her Lord back as himself. Kagome studied the situation. Sesshoumaru's chest and abdomen had large cuts and blood was still slowly oozing from them. His hands had torn flesh where the demon had bit him with is beak. His trousers were all cut up with the blows he had received. Rin was looking at his face. He was pale, paler that he usually was and he had a large cut in the left cheekbone. I hope it doesn't remain a scar, she was thinking, as Kagome told her "We have to start by cleaning his wounds, bring me that medicinal herb and some fresh cool water."

Kagome started cleaning the wounds as Rin watched closely and obeyed her instructions. It took almost two hours until the treatment was ready. Kagome had cleaned, disinfected, stitched and covered the wounds. Throughout the process, Sesshoumaru had barely made any response and when Kagome checked, his beat was still weak. She looked at Rin and tried to be hopeful. "He's still hanging on dear, he's lost a lot of blood but at least now he's resting. Let's get something to eat, shall we?" Rin looked recultantly from Kagome to her Lord. "Now don't be silly, he would want you to stay healthy. Come on, it's only the other side of the room." Kagome was walking near the stove where inuyasha had boiled some water and opened three pot noodles. "It was all I could think of," he said. He looked tired and lost. Throughout those last few hours he could not understand his behaviour. He had never given Sesshoumaru any thought, but now it was all he could think of. Although they had their differences, he had always looked up to his older half-brother. Now he was worried sick he was going to lose the only family he had left. Kagome's smile brought him back from his thoughts. "Oh thanks, Inuyasha, it's perfect," she said, as she poured the water and handed a pot to him and Rin. They ate in silence. None of them had uttered a word. All of them were worried, tired and lost.

"We'll take turns for night watch, I'll start," said Inuyasha as they were clearing up. Rin had already fallen asleep on the sofa bed. The whole situation had tired her out. "Ok honey, if you see any movement or change, wake me up. I doubt he'll move, however. He must be in so much pain and he's lost too much blood." Now Inuyasha looked pleadingly at her, "do you think he'll make it?" "We,ll have to see if he makes it through the night. He's tough, Inuyasha," She told him as se bid him goodnight with a kiss on the cheek.

Chapter 4 – Pain

Darkness…pain.. a flashing light. Where am I? Am I dead? Sesshoumaru thought as he opened his eyes and looked into the darkness of the night. It was quiet. A pain was throbbing through his chest. He could barely breathe. He looked around him. Where am I? he thought again. Suddenly, he could make out the figure of his brother, sitting next to the bed.

At the far end of the room, he could see two figures, sleeping soundly on the strange bed. Then he realised one of them was Rin. The other must be Kagome. He lifted his hands and could make out strange sticks which covered his wounds. They must have saved me, he thought as he looked back at Inuyasha's dozing figure. They must have treated my wounds. But why? I'm a demon. I always hated them and was never there to help. Well maybe not never but… I will never understand humans, he said as he drifted off into unconsciousness again.

"How is he? Kagome asked Inuyasha the following morning. The sun was rising and some light was coming through the window. "He's has barely moved through the night. I think he's in a lot of pain," he said, as he looked at his brother lying helpless on the bed.

Rin woke up and asked the same question, only she was in tears, seeing her Lord in such a state. "We have to wait for him to recover from the wounds,"said Kagome hopefully.

"Kagome, Kagome, come on hurry." "What is it?" "Its Lord Sesshoumaru, he's awake!" shouted Rin from the hut. Kagome ran from where she was picking medicinal herbs. It had been three days since the accident and Sesshoumaru had opened his eyes only twice, and just for a few minutes, without saying a word.

"Hey how are you feeling?" Kagome asked. He did not respond… no way I'm talking to a human, he was thinking. Kagome looked at him angrily. "Now don't you dare think you're not speaking to us. We saved your life, you know!" "Come on Lord Sesshoumaru say something please, we were worried sick," added Rin. "I'm fine," he finally said, trying to get up, but the throbbing pain in his chest would not let him. "Hey, don't move! I've had to stitch you up, so for now you need to take it easy. Are you in pain?" "No, I'm not," he answered angrily.

However, she could see his face was still white and he was definitely in a lot of pain, so she told him "of course you are in pain Sesshoumaru, don't try to be the hero. You were out for three whole days. You almost died from those wounds." "How could you be so stupid letting the demon get to you in this way?" Inuyasha was standing next to the bed now. The other three were speechless. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes again. "You mortals are hopeless." "What do you mean by that?" said an angry Inuyasha. "Come on Inuyasha, leave him be, he's in pain, he's been unconscious for three days, so he might be a bit disoriented.

The following night, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes again. Inuyasha was sitting next to the bed. "Inuyasha" His brother got up with a start, he did not expect Sesshoumaru to wake up in the middle of the night. "What happened to me?" to older brother asked. "You mean you don't remember?" "All I can remember is fighting the demon bird."

His voice was faint, he could barely speak. He had never been in so much pain. "Well, you almost died and we saved your life. I was going to leave you there, you know, but that cry baby of a teenager you carry around and Kagome wanted to help, so I was FORCED to carry you back to the hut." Inuyasha thought his brother had fallen back to sleep but then, he heard a faint, "thank you, I owe you".

Chapter 5 – Recovery

Rin was picking some flowers. It had been 5 days since the accident. She had barley talked to Sesshoumaru. He'd been in and out of consciousness most of the time. As she ran off to the hut, she said her Lord raising his voice, "I am not eating any human food, understand?" then Kagome "Look, you need your strength back. It's just boiled vegetables. It's good for your recovery." "I don't want to recover!" "Why not?" "Not your business," the demon retorted. "Hmm, I bet you and Inuyasha have more in common than you care to admit," said Kagome with a smile. "What do you mean by t..?" his voice faltered as Rin brightly entered the room with a bunch of yellow dandelions. "Good morning Lord Sesshoumaru, how are you feeling? These are for you." "Oh how sweet, let me get a vase and we'll put them next to the bed," offered Kagome. "Chicken soup's ready. Do you want some?" "Oh yes, I'm starving. Thank you," said Rin as she ran off to the table. Kagome poured four bowls of soup, three of which she took on the table, while she left the last one next to Sesshoumaru's bed.

"He's gonna starve himself to death if we do not find some demon food NOW," said Inuyasha. "Shhhhh Inuyasha, he's eating it." "What, that's not p...!" He looked at his demon brother who had turned his back to them and was carefully eating the soup. "Inuyasha, don't stare. It's rude," Kagome told him, as Rin started smiling.

Twenty minutes later, Kagome cleared the table and picked up Sesshoumaru's empty bowl of soup. She just looked at him without a word, and then said, "Today I need to check your wound, OK?" He nodded.

"Inuyasha, make yourself scarce. I need to check his wounds." "so what?" he asked with a tone. "Soo he will feel uncomfortable with you hovering around him.

They were in the hut. There was a strange light coming out from a long tube. Kagome had removed all the bandages and he could see the large scar on his chest and abdomen. It had a strange thread going right through. "So, this is going to burn a bit, but it is important to avoid infection," she said as she started dabbing the wound. It was painful, but he did not flinch.

"OK, you're ready. How are you feeling now?" "I'm fine," he snapped. "Oh, come on Sesshoumaru, you almost died five days ago. Does the wound still hurt?" He muttered "a bit" then went on asking "why did you want to save me?" Kagome answered casually "You're family, we look after family." He was stunned. He never thought that this human considered him as family. He was a demon, he belonged on his own. That's what his mother had told him when she threw him out of the house.

"Do you think you can stand a bit?" Kagome's voice brought him back from his thoughts. He tried to stand up but the pain in his chest and abdomen were unbearable. He sat back on the bed, looking defeated. "It's Ok, we'll try again in a couple of days, don't worry. You will be better soon," said Kagome to try cheering him up. "I don't understand, I'm usually recovered in two or three days." "Well, you were in a really bad shape when we found you, and you had lost a lot of blood. Poor Rin was covered in tears and some of the blood from your chest when we found you. Well, you're better now, I'm sure you'll survive."

Rin, he thought, she was not safe with him. He had to do something about that. "So, this is where you and Inuyasha live?" he asked. "Oh yes, it's not much, but we manage." "Are there any other places like this close by?" Kagome stopped and stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Rin is in danger while she is with me, I need to protect her." "By leaving her behind? That would crush her!" "It's the best thing to do." "For you or for her," now it was Kagome who was snapping. "Well, I couldn't just live in a human village could I?" "Why not? Inuyasha does." "Are you serious, that's totally different…" Kagome cut him in mid-sentence, "look, the next two huts are empty. We're not using them. You can stay in one and Rin in the other, until you figure out a solution. Besides, you are still recovering. We need to keep a close eye on you."

Outside the hut, Rin's heart was beating fast. She had gone to pick some water for her Lord, but when she returned, she had heard him say he did not want her with him. She knew it, he blamed her for what had happened. "Why are you standing there like a stupid statue?" She jumped as she heard Inuyasha's voice. Tears welled up in her eyes and said "I need some fresh air."

Inuyasha was furious. He stormed into the hut and yelled "what the hell did you say?" at his brother. "Did you say something stupid about Rin? She was out there standing with tears in her eyes. Sesshoumaru was tongue tied. He did not know what to say. He hadn't even felt her presence. He clearly wasn't fully recovered. "Oh dear, she must have overheard us speaking," said Kagome, as she explained the whole story to Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru had his eyes to the ground. He could not think. This was awful, now Rin thought he did not want to be part of her life. The pain in his chest was pushing away on his lungs. Suddenly, he could barely breathe. He was in the battlefield again… Kagome and Inuyasha stared as they saw the great demon go into unconsciousness again.

Chapter 6 – Love

"It's going to be ok dear. He's scared, you know. It's a thing with men. Some tend to get unreasonable when they are in such a situation. He's worried about you and doesn't want to show you. "But Kagome, I LOVE HIM. He saved my life and I swore I would follow him, wherever the place, whatever the cost."

Kagome looked at Rin hopefully, "look, I have an idea, tonight is the new moon. Inuyasha and I always plan something special for the night. I'll leave the hut to you and Sesshoumaru and you can talk this through. You can cook him something nice if you want." Rin nodded happily.

What a nice smell, he thinks as he opens his eyes. He could see Rin's small figure near the stove. "Rin," he calls out. "Oh, I did not notice you wake up, I'm fixing us dinner." "Where are the others?" "They had an errand to run tonight." As he looked out of the window, he could see no moon. "New moon night eh," he mutters.

"It's stir fried chicken noodles. My mom used to cook it all the time," she said as she handed him the plate. She had moved the table close to the bed, as he still could not walk up to the other side of the room. They barely talked through dinner. After she cleared up the table, Rin was thinking, she had to ask him.

"So," she started, "you seem to be recovering quite well". " Not as well as I'd like!" he retorted. "Where are we headed to when you get better?" Wow, that's fast, he thought. He didn't expect her to get to the point that fast. "Rin look, I … I think you'd be better off living here with Inuyasha and Kagome. This is a safe village. No demons have been seen within two miles of here."

"So you want to get rid of me!" "No, it's not like that at all." The pain was coming again, he was not used to these kinds of arguments. "Than what is it like?" asked Rin with an angry tone. "I just want you to be safe. My Tenseiga doesn't work on you, you know that."

"I don't care. I want to be with you. I Love you!" Oh no, it was out. He must think she was stupid or childish. Why is he not saying anything? Why doesn't he give me an angry look? She was thinking to herself. Sesshoumaru was dumbstruck. Again, he couldn't speak. He had been thinking about his feelings, but she had said it first. What should he say? She was staring at him, hand on her mouth.

He stood up and painfully came close, so that he could smell her skin. Then he looked into her eyes and said "I love you too," and hugged her close to him. When they sat back, he tried to explain. "Look, I'm sorry I never said anything, but it's been quite some time that I wanted to tell you about my feelings."

Rin was staring at him. She thought she was dreaming. She had always thought her love for him was unrequited, but now he was saying he felt the same way. "You know what kept me hanging on?" Rin shook her head. "The thought of having someone next to me when I woke up. You!" She could not resist the tears which came pouring down her face. "So you do not want to leave me behind?" "Of course not, that was insensitive."

Outside the hut, Kagome was grinning as she looked at her boyfriend. "What?" he snapped. "Didn't you hear? They confessed their love. Ohhh I just love reunions." "Stupid girl, its not a reunion." "Oh come on Inuyasha, aren't you happy for your brother? He has someone to love him, just like you do." "Yeah yeah don't flatter yourself."

Chapter 7- Start Over

The next day was a beautiful sunny morning. Sesshoumaru could feel the sun shining in the window. It had been a week since the accident. His wounds were healing, but the pain was still almost unbearable. He tried sitting down, which he painfully managed. He looked around the hut. There was only Inuyasha. "Where are the girls?" he asked. "They went out shopping for food and new bandages. We had to use them all on you the other night!" exclaimed Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru looked around. It was the first time he was really seeing the place. The last few days were a blur. Apart from last night! He could never forget her words.

"So, a few days ago you were acting strangely," said Inuyasha. "How so?" enquired Sesshoumaru. "well, you were blabbering something about owing me, because I saved your life. "Did I? I don't remember saying that. You aren't making this up, are you?" Sesshoumaru asked with an impatient tone. "Yes, you did. So, what are you going do to pay me back for saving your life? It has to be something big…."

Inuyasha was speaking incessantly when Sesshoumaru said "how about a clean slate?" Inuyasha could not believe his ears. "What, you want to start over? Isn't it like seventy years too late for that?" Sesshoumaru looked sadly at Inuyasha, "I guess you're right, but I would like to try. After all, you and I are what's left of the family. We should stop fighting and focus on being there for each other. I was thinking about Kagome's offer of staying in the village."

Inuyasha was stunned. He going to propose that his brother leaves him alone and does not try to kill him anymore. He had even practiced saying "I won't bother you, and you won't bother me." He did not expect him to say that he wanted to be in his life. It's that girl Rin, she must have made him lose his mind telling him that she loved him.

He was startled as the girls came into the room with two large bags. "Oh, you're awake, good. Today I need to remove the stitches," Kagome called out. "What does she mean?" Sesshoumaru looked confused. "Oh, she has to take away the thread you have running along your chest. It's an awful feeling, you'll feel like your skin is being ripped from your body." "Inuyasha stop it, you're scaring him!" said Kagome, as she saw Sesshoumaru's face turn pale.

Chapter 8 – Fever

One hour later, the stitches had been removed. Inuyasha had been right. It was a painful experience. As soon as Kagome had removed the stitches he could see the scare from his chest to his abdomen. Kagome told him that the redness would fade away, but claimed that there was the possibility of it remaining a scar.

He was still in pain and had refuses any pain medication Kagome had offered. "Now, we need to see if you are able to walk today," said Kagome. But Sesshoumaru stayed propped up in bed, answering, "Not today, I don't feel like walking."

Kagome wondered if he was really worse than he showed them to be. "Do you want some pain medication? I can make some if you need." Sesshoumaru hesitated, he did not want to give in, but he was fed up of the constant pain in his chest. "Ok, then just a bit," he answered reluctantly.

Inuyasha was noticing the whole scene, and after Kagome had given Sesshoumaru the medicine, he approached her saying, "he must be in much more pain than he is showing, to have given in to the medicine." Kagome was concerned too, "I know, and the wound seems to be getting infected. I put on an extra amount of lotion, but that's all I could do."

The following evening was a nightmare. The infection got worse and Sesshoumaru got a very high fever, because of the infected wound. "I don't understand, I thought he was recovering," said Rin tearfully as she saw her Lord shivering and confused. "I know Rin, but some side effects can emerge later on. His wound got infected. We'll have to keep on him during the night." "Ok, I'll start today," Rin eagerly offered.

It was quiet and dark. It was hot outside, but he was shivering. He must have lost consciousness again. "Oh, you're awake," he heard Rin's voice through the darkness. She came close and wiped his face with a damp cloth. "There you go, how do you feel?" He looked the other way and answered, "Awful. I just want to get out of this bed." "Oh, I promise you'll get better soon. We are all doing our best to help you. Here, drink up. Kagome told me to give you a sip or two if you wake up." She said as she gave him the glass of water. He drank a few sips and said, "I need to go back to sleep," as he dosed off.

Chapter 9 – Morning

The next day was hot and humid. As Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, he could not see anyone in the room. Maybe they needed some fresh air, he thought. His fever seemed to have subsided, but he had a really bad headache, and still some pain from the wound.

He rose from the bed. The pain was still throbbing through his chest, but at least he could walk a bit. With some difficulty, he made it to the door. As he looked out, he could see the beautiful green trees and clear blue sky. The sounds of birds chirping and the trees slightly moving by the wind made if feel so peaceful.

"Oh, there you are," he heard Inuyasha call out. Rin and Kagome were tagging along carrying two baskets of fruits and herbs. "You seem a little bit better, but you need some sun," added Kagome. She turned to Inuyasha and whispered, "My God, he's Pale!" Then, turning back to Sesshoumaru she asked, "Do you want me to bring you a chair, so you can stay a bit out here? It's a nice morning." Sesshoumaru nodded briefly and carefully sat on the chair which Rin had run in to bring for him. She had also brought one for herself.

There they sat, all morning, merely talking, just enjoying each other's company and their beautiful surroundings. "It's beautiful here isn't it?" Rin asked. Kagome was right, he thought. This is a good place. Then he asked Rin, "do you like it?" "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru, a lot." "I think it is a good place to build a home," he said, to which Rin added, "and a family too."

He did not answer to that, instead he said, "Kagome offered the next two huts, which we could use as our homes, but we can't take them for free, you'd need to find a job, and I would need to go on errands. Besides, it must be costing them a fortune to buy all those herbs for my treatment." Rin was nodding and grinning from ear to ear. "So, we're going to stay here, together?" He nodded, then said. "Of course we'll be in separate homes." "Oh, ok, the important thing is that you stay too. I'm going to tell Kagome."

The two girls were hugging. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. You're going to love it here. We'll make both of you feel at home, I promise. "I need to find a job, Kagome. I can't stay here living off you and Inuyasha." "Oh, we're happy to have you. Tomorrow we'll go in the village and see what is suitable for you."

"She seems really thrilled." Inuyasha had taken Rin's place on the chair as Rin had sprinted inside the hut, shouting the good news. "It's what she wants. She deserves to be happy." "What about you, Sesshoumaru? Are you happy with this arrangement?" "If you mean, living in a human village, I don't know how I am going to manage that, but I need to stay with Rin. She needs me to protect her." "Oh, you'll get used to it, don't worry. As long as you don't kill anyone, you'll be fine," smiled Inuyasha.


End file.
